« 2025 a été une année chaotique, 2026 sera décisive », alerte le Pr Souleymane Astou Diagne
Invited to the JDD program this Sunday, February 1, 2026, economist and academic Professor Souleymane Astou Diagne offered a frank assessment of Senegal's economic health. According to him, the year 2025 marked a sudden break, the shockwaves of which will weigh heavily on the current fiscal year.
“The Senegalese economy is in serious trouble,” the academic stated from the outset. According to him, this slump is the result of a volatile mix: the abrupt halt of construction projects, excessive taxation of economic activities, and a tense political climate. These factors have led to the stifling of the private sector, a contraction of GDP, and a public debt deemed excessive, causing a widespread loss of confidence among investors.
Professor Souleymane Astou Diagne highlighted a major paradox in the national economy. While nearly 70% of the working population is employed in the primary sector, this sector contributes only 15% to GDP. Even more alarming, this sector receives only 2% of bank financing, despite being the country's main source of employment.
“We cannot talk about industrialization when productive sectors are underfunded,” he insisted. By way of comparison, he pointed out that only 35% of Senegalese SMEs have access to credit, compared to nearly 80% in Morocco.
Debt, taxation and crowding-out effect
The economist also points to the state's responsibility for the scarcity of credit for the private sector. According to him, public authorities are crowding out the private sector by siphoning off banking resources through public offerings of savings. This situation is exacerbated by a tax burden that is among the highest in the sub-region, which stifles any attempt at internal growth.
For Professor Souleymane Astou Diagne, the absolute priority is to restore confidence to make 2026 the year of recovery. This absolutely requires a calming of political rhetoric to reassure the markets, as well as the immediate relaunch of major projects to revitalize the construction sector.
He also advocates easing the tax burden to give businesses some breathing room and a rapid normalization of relations with international partners, including the IMF and France, in order to stabilize the country's macroeconomic framework.
Commentaires (3)
Tu avais la même posture avec maky jusqu'à ce qu'il te ferme la bouche avec un poste.
Pathétique.
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.